In general, I've been taught that if you're faced with a big cat the best thing to do is to try to scare it (so long as it's not cornered). Make yourself as large and loud as possible and whatever you do, do not run from it. Grab a stick and flail your arms, throw rocks at it, etc.. That being said, it can be hard with a horse involved.

Also, it sounds like this cat may not be your typical wild cat and may be either driven by hunger, not right in the head or just grown too comfortable around humans. A gun would be the best option, even if you only had blanks. It would have to be a bat poop crazy cat to not run from the noise.

Sounds like a scary experience, the worst I am likely to encounter is a rat or dog. I was told by a relative in BC that the reason they are having so many bear/cougar sightings us because the winter was so long that the animals haven't moved up like they normally do? Not sure if this is accurate or not.

Stop for a minute, open your mind, learn. You may not agree with what I say, I may not agree with what you say but we will both learn something new.

Conservation said that our deer population is way down....there is no deer. Even hunters last fall around here said they either didn't see any or commented that the numbers are very low. It sucks because last summer I logged about 45 hours of trailing in there.....this year I won't go back in there at all.

I've been told to never turn your back to a big cat because they take advantage of the situation jumping on your back. and if it does Fight Back. do not cower or play dead because it will assume you are and you know what happens next.

Absolutely take a firearm safety class and be trained to shoot a firearm. I'm not certain about the law in your particular area. Most recreational parks I've been to will let you carry a gun for protection purposes when camping or hiking per the bears and mountain lions. I assume trail riding is equal purpose.

In a bind you could possibly find a leather sheathed machete and carry that in your bag of tricks just in case the cougar gets too comfortable. Even a large pocket knife could defend you. I always carry my knife lighter and gun when on trails because you just never know. That reminds me it would be a great idea for trailriders to take a survival course. You'd learn all you needed to know about what to do in any given situation the wilderness throws at your feet.

We have a lot of bears where I live and I'm not really afraid of them at all, but big cats scare the life out of me. At least a bear will come at me face on with no showy stalking... You might not see a big cat until the last minute.

Loud noises seems to be the general consensus for getting rid of them, but I doubt yelling would affect your cougar if he's so desensitized/out of sorts. If possible, carry something artificial that makes a loud bang? Someone suggested firing blanks. I'm sure there are other devices that aren't illegal/difficult to acquire that can have the same affect. I would check with a hunting store in your area and ask what they have to say. That said, your horse would have to be desensitized to the loud noise or you might find yourself on the ground in an even nastier situation.

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